


Modern Day Cinderella

by AsagiStilinski



Series: Pridecember 2018 [15]
Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Cinderella Elements, Coffee, Coffee Shops, Earrings, Fluff, M/M, Meet-Cute, ygopridecember2018
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-15
Updated: 2018-12-15
Packaged: 2019-09-20 04:24:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,677
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17015667
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AsagiStilinski/pseuds/AsagiStilinski
Summary: Seto Kaiba has done the impossible- he's met someone who he actually wants to date, there's just one little problem.... he has no idea who the guy isLuckily though, he seems to have left an earring for Seto to use to track him down with, Prince Charming did it with a shoe, and that was before the internet and cell phones existed, so how hard can it be?





	Modern Day Cinderella

**Author's Note:**

> Day 15 of Pridecemeber 2018- "Earring"
> 
> I love Atem's earrings so much that I had a million ideas for this theme, but the Cinderella thing sounded too cute to pass up so I went with this one

Generally speaking, Seto Kaiba despises coffee shops

He hates fancy coffee like lattes and frappes and honestly would rather just brew his own at his office- _drank black_

He hates the atmosphere, the crowds of preppy hipsters and people all around, irritable customers and exhausted baristas who are trying their best, and the sheer amount of people alone was more than enough to make him hold a grudge against them forever

But most of all, he hates being delayed, he has an important job to do and doesn't have time for waiting around in a line full of morons for a cup of coffee

Not to mention the prices, he may be rich but that didn't mean he wanted to pour half of his bank account into coffee every year

So, long story short, he _hated_ coffee shops

....

Wich is exactly why he was so irritated to have to be in one

He was a good businessman, wich meant that he always tried to accommodate his partners and associates to the best of his ability- within reason, ofcourse

So when he was asked to meet in a coffee shop, he had- with great reluctance- agreed

There was just one little problem.....

He was stood up

After half an hour of waiting for his new potential associate, he finally called the guy, expecting some lame explanation like being stuck in traffic or running late, but instead-

_"Oh that was today? Sorry, I had it in my calendar wrong, well uh... listen, I'll get back with you some other time then, maybe Thursday? How's that?"_

Seto hung up

He had already been a tad wary of doing business with this guy and this had been the last straw he needed to completely drop the idea

Now, however, he was _fuming_

He had wasted his time, wasted his money, and was now stuck in this Gods-foresaken _coffee shop_

With an irritated huff, he rose up from the table, ready to get out of here before he lost his mind, and turned towards the door-....

Only to run face first into someone who was rushing towards him

Growling under his breath and stumbling back, he prepared to tell off whatever idiot had just collided with him, but before he could get the chance, he found his anger starting to simmer down, taking in the expression of the beautifull man in front of him

He was fairly short, with soft tan skin and bright red eyes, and as if those eyes weren't odd enough, his hair was.... _crazy_....

Incredibly spikey and oddly shaped, red and black and blonde....

Dressed in a soft lilac blouse and long floral skirt, a few peices of jewlry decorating his form, a choker, a necklace, a few bracelets and rings, a couple of pairs of earrings....

He was _beautifull_

"O-Oh, my apologies, I should have better watched where I was going," he said with a soft, shy smile, his face already flushing a little

"It's.... it's fine-"

"Oh! Is that Dragon Lord on your case?" he gasped suddenly, peering down at the tag hanging off of Seto's breifcase and grinning from ear to ear, wich definitely took the CEO by surprise, in all these years, he had never met anyone else who even knew about Dragon Lord, as it was a rather underrated show

"It is,"

"I simply love that show, I used to watch it all the time as a child,"

Huh.... what a coincidence

"So did I,"

"I-I um... I apologize though, for running into you, and now keeping you, you were on your way somewhere, yes?"

"Yes," Seto confirmed with a quick nod, but.....

How often did he run into someone with such an uncommon and delightfull interest?

This may be his only chance for quite some time to talk to another fan

"But I'm in no hurry, as a matter of fact, my plans fell through, would you like a cup of coffee?"

The stranger's face lit up a little more, a warm expression crossing his features

"I would love one,"

 

~+~

 

Talking to the stranger had been the highlight of his day

Hell, it had been the highlight of his _month_

The stranger was intelligent and insightfull and they had ended up getting caught up in playing the prototype of the new game Seto was designing

He was good too, he had even beaten Seto at his own game- _literally_

He was an intellectual equal, a gaming challenge, and a delightfull person who shared many of Seto's interests- a combination he had never found in anyone before

Seto wanted him

He wanted to be around him, to talk to him again, date him....

He wanted to date him

When had that ever happened before?

Never

There was just one little bitty problem to this plan of his.......

He had no idea who the guy was

In the two hours they had spent together they had never really thought to exchange names, and the only reason they had broken their date when they did was because of the smaller man getting an urgent phone call and having to take off suddenly, before they could exchange information

Now Seto was left without knowing how to get back in contact with his mystery suitor- who probably did not, in fact, realize that he was even a suitor in the first place

He was going to have to ask around to find out if anyone in the coffee shop knew who he was- _great_

Oh well, atleast, for the first time, being in a coffee shop had actually come in handy, people who came in coffee shops were usually regular customers, and the baristas would atleast sometimes know their names, what with having to write them down on the cups and all

However, it appeared that luck was actually on his side for once

As he was getting up from the table, he glanced down and saw something shimmering on the floor beside his foot, and upon closer inspection, he found it to be an earring....

One of the stranger's earrings....

Now all he had to do was play Prince Charming and figure out who owned the metaphorical glass slipper

How hard could that be?

 

~+~

 

As it turns out? Very hard

Fairytales lie about everything, it's impossible to find people based on a lost article of clothing

He had spent the five hours and the entirety of his security team searching for the owner of this earring and so far all he had come up with was where the earring had been bought from

And unfortunately, not only did the employees of the store not remember who bought the earrings, but the earrings had been discontinued over a year ago, making it even harder to figure out who had bought them in the first place

He wasn't going to stop trying though

He was going to find this guy or die trying

Thankfully, however, it didn't quite reach that level

Just as he was about to organize something of a manhunt for the owner of the earring, he lucked out for the second time that day- third, if you counted actually getting to know the stranger as the first time he had gotten lucky

_"Hey big bro, didn't you say that guy you met earlier today was missing an earring?"_

The call from his brother had been unexpected, to say the least, considering that Mokuba was supposed to be dropping off flowers at the hospital for an employee of their's who had just had a baby, but Seto wasn't about to kick a gift horse in the mouth

"That's right,"

_"There's a guy here at the hospital who's only got one earring on! Well, technically I guess he has **several** earrings on, but only one on his lowest peircing, he has the weirdest hair I've ever seen, it's red and black and blonde,"_

That was him alright, the mysterious stranger who had lost the earring and captured Seto's heart

"That's him, listen Mokuba, I need you to do me a favor, wait there until he leaves and when he does-"

_"Excuse me! Mister!"_

"Wait, what are you doing?! Mokuba?! Mokuba!!"

_"Were you having coffee earlier today with a fan of Dragon Lord?"_

_"Mm? Why yes, I was,"_

Seto's life was over

_"You forgot to give him your name and number earlier,"_

_"Did I?"_

His life was flashing before his eyes, and before he knew it-

_"Hello?"_

Crap.... Seto didn't know if he was ready for this, he wasn't really sure what to say, but ... this was his chance and he couldn't risk blowing it

_"Hel-"_

"You left your earring,"

Great first thing to say

_"O-Oh ... um, I did yes, I've been looking for it, you have it then?"_

"I do, we should meet so I could give it back to you,"

_"I- .. yes, that would be lovely, thank you,"_

"Good, maybe I can bring it to you now? I'm off of work and the hospital is on my way home,"

Lies, all lies, but he wanted to see his mysterious Cinderella again, and the sooner, the better

"That is, if you can have visitors,"

_"That would be fantastic, yes, and I'm not hospitalized actually, my best freind's grandfather had a heartattack, I'm here with him,"_

"I'm sorry to hear that, is he alright?"

_"He is, it was just frightening, but he will be alright yes,"_

"That's good," Seto confirmed with a slow nod

_"I will be here a bit longer, perhaps an hour, but if you would like... perhaps we could finish our coffee after? I realize I ran out in quite a hurry,"_

Coffee....

Seto could do coffee

Before he could say anything else though-

_"O-Oh! My freind has just informed me, I still haven't told you my name... it's Atem,"_

Atem.... well, Seto definitely wouldn't be forgetting that any time soon

"It's nice to meet you, my name is Seto Kaiba, I'll see you for coffee then, Atem, I just have one small condition,"

_"Oh? What's that?"_

"We have it anywhere but a coffee shop,"


End file.
